How to watch Farm Aid 2026 live on CNN and free online
Farm Aid 2026 airs live on CNN tonight from 7–11 p.m. ET, with free streams on the Farm Aid site, YouTube, and nugs starting earlier in the day. Willie Nelson, Neil Young, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews headline the Virginia Beach benefit, marking CNN’s second straight year as broadcast partner.
Key Takeaways
- CNN broadcasts Farm Aid 2026 from 7–11 p.m. ET on Saturday, Sept. 26, co-anchored by John Berman and Laura Coates.
- Free live webcasts run on the Farm Aid website, Farm Aid’s YouTube channel, and nugs from about 11:30 a.m. ET.
- SiriusXM carries the full festival on Willie’s Roadhouse (channel 61) and Dave Matthews Band Radio (channel 30) from noon ET.
- The show is at Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater in Virginia Beach—Farm Aid’s first stop there.
How can you watch Farm Aid 2026 for free?
According to Deadline, fans can stream the already-in-progress, pre-primetime webcast on the Farm Aid site and the Farm Aid YouTube channel. Rolling Stone and Just Jared confirm the free HD webcast began at 11:30 a.m. ET and runs through the festival.
Worldwide viewers can also watch Farm Aid 2026 live for free on nugs via the nugs mobile app, nugs.net, or the official nugs YouTube channel starting at 11:30 a.m. ET. nugs All Access subscribers can stream on Roku and Apple TV.
Cord-cutters who want the CNN special can use live TV apps such as DirecTV, Hulu + Live TV, YouTube TV, and Sling TV, or stream via CNN.com/Watch and the CNN app. For more live-event tech coverage, see our Future Tech & AI Wonders hub.
What time does the CNN broadcast start?
CNN’s exclusive Farm Aid 2026: Music Festival Live coverage runs from 7 p.m. to 11 p.m. ET (4–8 p.m. PT). John Berman and Laura Coates co-anchor from Virginia Beach, while CNN chief climate correspondent Bill Weir reports from the grounds. It is the second consecutive year CNN has partnered with the festival.
Rolling Stone notes CNN’s 2025 Farm Aid broadcast reached 3.88 million people globally and that viewers contributed more than $615,000 during that show. SiriusXM, in its 17th year covering the event, airs full festival audio plus backstage interviews from 12 p.m. ET on channels 61 and 30.
Who is performing at Farm Aid 2026 and when?
Board members Willie Nelson & Family, Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts, John Mellencamp, and Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds lead the bill, joined by Margo Price, Nathaniel Rateliff, Turnpike Troubadours, Lukas Nelson, Ty Myers, Mike Campbell & The Dirty Knobs, Jesse Welles, Sierra Ferrell, Mon Rovîa, I’m With Her, Amythyst Kiah, Lily Meola, Chris Pierce, and the Wisdom Indian Dancers.
Just Jared lists performances kicking off at 12:25 p.m. ET with the Wisdom Indian Dancers. Primetime set times include Dave Matthews & Tim Reynolds at 7:44 p.m., John Mellencamp at 8:36 p.m., Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts at 9:28 p.m., and Willie Nelson & Family closing at 10:20 p.m.
The annual benefit supports American family farms. Just Jared reports Farm Aid has raised more than $90 million since 1985, and this is the first time the festival has been held in Virginia Beach.